Israel is refusing to renew the VIP cards of several senior Palestinian
Authority officials, a Palestinian official in Ramallah said
Wednesday.

The Israeli-issued cards, which enable their holders freedom
of movement in the West Bank and Israel, had been granted to dozens of top PA
officials over the past two decades.

One of the PA officials affected by
the new policy is Nabil Sha’ath, a member of the Fatah Central Committee and a
former negotiator with Israel.

Sha’ath’s card was revoked after he
visited the Gaza Strip to participate in Hamas’s “victory” celebrations in the
aftermath of Operation Pillar of Defense.

Sha’ath said in response that
he does not really care about the VIP card “because Palestinian unity is much
more important.”

Palestinians have regularly criticized senior PA
officials for accepting Israeli-issued VIP cards that grant them various
privileges denied to most of their people. The cards also allowed their holders
to pass through IDF checkpoints without delay or checking.